Now that Lady Starburst’s approval ratings are in the crazification factor zone, a lot of our country’s most serious conservative thinkers have decided that she isn’t the Burkean wunderkind they once she thought she was. They now think she relies too heavily on “shallow talking points”. Larison asks:
It’s true that Palin relies on shallow talking points, but where do these come from? They come from the institutions and leaders of the movement that is supposedly so concerned with ideas. Palin is disinterested in ideas, and she has flourished in the conservative media for years. She does rely on shallow talking points, and legions of conservative pundits have repeatedly defended her against charges that she is ignorant and incurious. Everything about her public persona since she received the VP nomination has been built up around tapping into resentment, grievance, and identity politics, all of which are in one way or another antithetical to critical thinking and substantive discussion of policy, and for a while most of her new detractors said nothing or gushed about how wonderful she was.
As long as she was useful prior to the midterms, the institutions, magazines, and leaders of the movement not only tolerated her, but actively promoted her and gave her typically glowing coverage.
If Sarah Palin was still seen as a politically viable vessel for right-wing propaganda, conservatives would still portray her as a major intellect. Now that the public hates her, it’s time to focus on fluffing Tim Pawlenty and Haley Barbour.